--- title: "Elon Musk Is Mass-Firing Employees Who Dared Criticize Him in Slack" description: "SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly firing anybody who has criticized him on Twitter's Slack channels, Platformer's Casey Newton reports. \"We regret to inform you that your employment is terminated immediately,\" some former employees were reportedly told over email. \"Your recent behavior has violated company policy.\" We still don't know how many people […]" date: "2022-11-15" modified: "2022-11-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-firing-employees-criticize-slack" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Is Mass-Firing Employees Who Dared Criticize Him in Slack ![SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly firing anybody who has criticized him on Twitter's Slack channels, Platformer's Casey Newton reports.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk [calls himself]() a "free speech absolutist," but he's been systematically firing anyone who disagrees with him. Musk, now the boss at Twitter, is reportedly sacking anybody who has criticized him on the social giant's Slack channels, *Platformer*'s [Casey Newton reports](). "We regret to inform you that your employment is terminated immediately," former employees were reportedly told over email. "Your recent behavior has violated company policy." Musk took to Twitter after the firings to mock the terminated workers. "I would like to apologize for firing these geniuses," he [wrote](). "Their immense talent will no doubt be of great use elsewhere." We still don't know how many people have been affected by the change — Newton [suggested]() it's around 20 so far — but it's yet another sign that Musk's efforts to dismantle the status quo at Twitter are well underway. The news also underlines Musk's limited patience and surprisingly thin skin when it comes to anybody standing in his way. That kind of tyrannical managerial style is clearly leaving a big mark on Twitter's work culture, which has been shaken to its core ever since Musk took over. In fact, the most recent firings appear to be in direct violation of Twitter's own established culture. "Twitter has long cultivated a culture of internal dissent: 'Communicate fearlessly to build trust,'" Newton [pointed out](). "No internal codes of conduct have changed since Elon took over," he added. "So this is all out of the blue." Musk has set an entirely new tone at the company, forcing employees to work from the office full time or quit. Meanwhile, Musk has taken it upon himself to work [endless seven-day work weeks](). Many employees were clearly already looking for a way out. "After 12 amazing years and three weeks of chaos, I’m officially fired by Twitter," one former employee, who [pushed back]() on Musk's claim that Twitter's performance issues are due to bad code, [wrote](). "Never expected I would have stayed this long, and never expected I would be this relieved to be gone." On Monday, Musk fired software engineer Eric Frohnhoefer, who [refuted Musk]()'s claims that Twitter's Android app was slow due to poor coding. In short, Twitter is bleeding even more staff — which could indicate some rough weeks and months ahead for the company. The news comes after [roughly half]() of all Twitter employees were abruptly and unceremoniously terminated, with some being [asked to come back]() just days later. Soon afterward, the company [fired most of its contractors as well](). A significant number of high-level execs have also fled, leaving the company vulnerable to litigation and [increased government scrutiny](). All told, a new day has dawned at Twitter and Musk is hellbent on weeding out those who don't agree with him and his leadership. The likely outcome: Twitter will be run primarily by those who [support him unconditionally](). And that shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody, given how Musk's other ventures are being run. In a [scathing Twitter thread]() last week, early Twitter investor Chris Sacca argued that Musk is "straight-up alone right now and winging this" at Twitter. "One of the biggest risks of wealth/power is no longer having anyone around you who can push back, give candid feedback, suggest alternatives, or just simply let you know you're wrong," he wrote. "A shrinking worldview combined with intellectual isolation leads to out-of-touch shit." Whether Musk's approach will allow Twitter to become a viable business in the long run — as of right now, the platform is a massive money pit for Musk — remains to be seen. Twitter is bleeding a lot of talent, and may find itself with a significant infrastructural mess to clean up — a direct result of Musk's extreme leadership philosophy. **More on Twitter:** *[Sad Elon Musk Says He's Overwhelmed In Strange Interview]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()